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Awhip is an official of apolitical party whose task is to ensureparty discipline (that members of the party vote according to theparty platform rather thantheir individual beliefs or that of donors or constituents) in alegislature.
Whips are the party's "enforcers". They work to ensure that their fellow political party legislators attend voting sessions and vote according to their party's official policy. Members who vote against party policy may "lose the whip", being expelled from the party.
The term is said to be taken from the "whipper-in" during a hunt, who tries to prevent hounds from wandering away from a hunting pack. The term may more reasonably have been taken from the practice of "keeping discipline" in slaves by cracking a leather whip over their heads.[1]
Additionally, the term "whip" may mean the voting instructions issued to legislators,[2] or the status of a certain legislator in their party's parliamentary grouping.
The expressionwhip in its parliamentary context, derived from its origins in hunting terminology. TheOxford English Dictionary defines the termwhipper-in as, "a huntsman's assistant who keeps the hounds from straying by driving them back with the whip into the main body of the pack". According to that dictionary, the first recorded use of the termwhipper-in in the parliamentary sense occurs in 1772. However, P.D.G. Thomas inHouse of Commons in the Eighteenth Century cites two examples of the use of the term that pre-date 1772.[3]
It was within the context of such summonses to members out of town that the first known Parliamentary instance of the use of the term "whip" occurred. In the debate of 8 May 1769 on a petition from some Middlesex freeholders against the seating of Henry Luttrell instead of John Wilkes, Edmund Burke mentioned that the ministry had sent for their friends to the north and to Paris, "whipping them in, than which, he said, there could not be a better phrase". Although Burke's particular emphasis on the expression implied its comparative novelty, the hunting term had been used in this political context for at least a generation: on 18 November 1742 Heneage Finch remarked in a letter to Lord Malton that "the Whigs for once in their lives have whipped in better than the Tories".
In theParliament of Australia, as well as in the parliaments of the six states and two self-governing territories, major political parties have whips to ensure party discipline and carry out a variety of other functions on behalf of the party leadership. The most important function of the whip's office is to ensure that all members and senators are present to take part in votes in the chamber (maintainingquorum and preventingcensure motions).[4] Unlike in the United Kingdom, Australian whips do not hold official office, but they are recognised for parliamentary purposes. In practice, Australian whips play a lesser role than their counterparts in the United Kingdom, asparty discipline in Australia tends to be tighter.[5]
Their roles in the chamber include taking divisions, and maintaining a "pairs book" which controls the ability of members and senators to leave the parliament building during sittings, as well as the entitlement to be absent during divisions.
Liberal Party whips are appointed by the leader of the party, whileAustralian Labor Party whips are elected by theCaucus. For Labor and the Liberals, the chief whip is assisted by two deputy whips.[6]
In Canada the Party Whip is the member of a political party in theCanadian House of Commons, theCanadian Senate or a provincial legislature charged with ensuring party discipline among members of thecaucus. In the House of Commons, the whip's office prepares and distributes vote sheets identifying the party position on each bill or motion.[7] The whip is also responsible for assigning offices and schedulingspeakers from his or her party for various bills, motions and other proceedings in the House.
In Bangladesh, the concept of the whip was inherited fromcolonial British rule.Chief Whip is a member of the parliament ofBangladesh from the ruling party who is responsible for the maintenance of party discipline inside the parliament.
The work of the whip is to ensure the proper participation (as the party wants) of the party MPs in the activities of theparliament, such as voting, If the leader and deputy leader of parliament are absent, the whip can speak for them.[citation needed]
In India, Every major political party appoints a whip who is responsible for the party's discipline and behaviours on the floor of thehouse. Usually, they direct the party members to stick to the party's stand on certain issues and directs them to vote as per the direction of senior party members.[8][9] However, there are some cases such asIndian Presidential elections where whips cannot direct aMember of Parliament (MP) orMember of Legislative Assembly (MLA) on whom to vote.[10] Should a whip's order be violated by a member of the same party, then the whip can recommend immediate dismissal of that member from the house due to indiscipline and the Speaker of the respective house can decide on the matter (without time limit). Should the whip choose not follow up on the violation his/her official whip order by own party member due to any reason, then any member of house can do so to the Speaker.[citation needed]
Whips exist for all parliamentary parties inDáil Éireann andSeanad Éireann.[11] Thegovernment chief whip is normally aMinister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach,[12] and attendscabinet meetings.[13] The whips of each house meet weekly to set the agenda for the next week's business.[13] TheTechnical Group in the Dáil and the analogous Independent groups in the Seanad nominate whips to attend these meetings even though there is no party line for their whips to enforce.[14] Whips also coordinatepairing.[11][13]
The timing of most votes are difficult to predict and TDs are expected to stay within earshot of the division bell at all times. All TDs are expected to vote with their party and to receive permission if they intend to be absent for a vote.Free votes are not a common feature of the Irish parliamentary tradition but they do happen on occasion, and there are calls for them to happen more often. For instance,Fianna Fáil usually allowed a free vote on abortion bills, as in the Protection of Human Life In Pregnancy Act.[15]
From 1998, whips and assistant whips may be entitled to an allowance on top of their base legislator's salary.[16] In 2011, these allowances varied proportional to the size of the group, with Fianna Fáil's Dáil whip's allowance the highest at €19,000.[17]
Party whips in Malaysia serve a similar role as in otherWestminster system-based parliamentary democracies. However, party discipline tends to be tighter in Malaysia and therefore the role of the whip is generally less important, though its importance is heightened when the government majority is less in the lower house.
In New Zealand, the concept of the whip was inherited from British rule. All political parties that have four or more members in Parliament have at least one party whip, althoughGreen Party whips are calledmusterers.[18] Parties with 25 to 44 members are allowed two whips (one senior and one junior), and parties with 45 or more members are entitled to three whips (one senior and two junior).
Whips act in an administrative role, making sure members of their party are in the debating chamber when required and organising members of their party to speak during debates. Since the introduction ofproportional representation in 1996, divisions that require all members in the chamber to vote by taking sides (termed apersonal vote) are rarely used, except forconscience votes. Instead, one of the party's whips votes on behalf of all the members of their party, by declaring how many members are in favour and/or how many members are opposed. They also cast proxy votes for single-member parties whose member is not in the chamber at the time of the vote, and also cast proxy votes during personal votes for absent members of their parties and for absent members of associated single-member parties.
In British politics, thechief whip of the governing party in theHouse of Commons is customarily appointed asParliamentary Secretary to the Treasury so that the incumbent, who represents the whips in general, has a seat and a voice in theCabinet. By virtue of holding the office of Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury, the government chief whip has an official residence at12 Downing Street, although the chief whip's office is currently located at 9 Downing Street. Government whips report to the prime minister on any possible backbench revolts and the general opinion of MPs within the party, and upon the exercise ofpatronage, which is used to motivate and reward loyalty.
The role of whips is largely to ensure that MPs vote as required by the party leadership, i.e. to secure the government's business, and to protect the prime minister. Whips use a combination of threats and promises to secure compliance. A former chief whip said that there was a dividing line between legitimate and illegitimate persuasion: "Yes to threats on preferment (for government positions) andhonours. No to abusing public money, such as threatening to withhold money from projects in the MP's constituency, and private lives." Former chief whips disclosed that whips have a notebook documenting MPs' indiscretions, and that they help MPs in any sort of trouble ("it might be debt, it might be ... a scandal involving small boys ...") in any way they can to "store up brownie points ... that sounds a pretty, pretty nasty reason, but it's one of the reasons because if we could get a chap out of trouble then he will do as we ask forever more."[19]
Having the whip withdrawn means the MP is effectively expelled from their party. UK parties do not have the power to expel an MP from parliament, but can force the MP to sit as an independent and remove them from ministerial office.
"Losing the whip is seen by many as one of the strongest punishments a political party can dole out to its MPs. The move essentially expels the member from their party, meaning that while they can remain on the green benches, they have to sit as an independent MP.[20]"
"... severe punishment. The most severe is "having the whip withdrawn" - which means you are kicked out of the party within Parliament."[21]
"Defying a three-line whip is very serious, and has occasionally resulted in the whip being withdrawn from an MP or Lord. This means that the Member is effectively expelled from their party (but keeps their seat) and must sit as an independent until the whip is restored."[22]
Mostparliamentary groups in both theChamber of Deputies and theSenate of the Republic appoint aSegretario (Secretary) orSegretario d'Aula (Floor Secretary), who enforces party discipline in the same way a whip does in English-speaking nations.[23] The Minister for Parliamentary Relations also often acts like a whip, but works for the incumbentgoverning coalition as a whole rather than for a single specific party or parliamentary group.
In both houses of theCortes Generales, the Spanish legislature, political parties appoint a member to the role ofportavoz adjunto (deputyspokesperson),[24] which is the third authority of theparliamentary group after the leader and the spokesperson. The deputy spokesperson enforces party discipline in every vote, being thus the equivalent of a party whip in English-speaking countries.[25]
Although South Africa uses aproportional representation system, the concept of a political party whip, which was inherited fromcolonial British rule, has been maintained.[26][27]
In 2017,African National Congress secretary generalGwede Mantashe said "Voting according to conscience doesn't work in a political party system. We all get into the list of things and go to Parliament as parliamentarians of the ANC [...] There will be no voting against the ANC."[28]
Party whips exist in most of the major parties of theLegislative Yuan. For example, in theDemocratic Progressive Party the party whip is the Caucus leader. In theKuomintang the party whip is the executive director of the Policy Committee or the caucus leader.
When voting for critical bills, whips may issue a top-mobilization order asking members to attend the assembly. Party members failing to obey the order are suspended or expelled from the party.[29]
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In the United States there are legislatures at the local (city councils, town councils, county boards, etc.), state, and federal levels. The federal legislature (Congress), the legislatures in all states except forNebraska, and many county and city legislative bodies are divided along party lines and have whips, as well as majority and minority leaders. The whip is also the assistant majority or assistant minority leader.
Both houses of Congress, theHouse of Representatives andSenate, have majority and minority whips. They in turn have subordinate "regional" whips. While members of Congress often vote along party lines, the influence of the whip is weaker than in the UK system; American politicians have considerably more freedom to diverge from theparty line and vote according to their conscience or their constituents' preferences. One reason is that aconsiderable amount of money is raised by individual candidates. Furthermore, nobody, including members of Congress, can be expelled from a political party, which is formed simply by open registration. Becausepreselection of candidates for office is generally done through aprimary election open to a wide number of voters, candidates who support their constituents' positions rather than those of their party leaders cannot easily be rejected by their party, due to a democraticmandate.
Because, unlike members of a parliament, members of Congress cannot serve simultaneously inExecutive Branch positions, a whip in the United States cannot bargain for votes by promising promotion or threatening demotion in a sitting administration. There is, however,a highly structured committee system in both houses of Congress, and a whip may be able to offer promotion or threaten demotion within that system. In the House of Representatives, the influence of a single member individually is relatively small and therefore depends a great deal onthe representative's seniority (i.e., in most cases, on the length of time they have held office).
In the Senate, the majority whip is the third-highest ranking individual in the majority party (the party with the most seats). The majority whip is outranked by the majority leader and, unofficially, thepresident pro tempore of the Senate. As the office of president pro tempore is largely honorific and usually given to the longest-serving senator of the majority, the majority whip is in reality the second-ranking senator in the majority conference. Similarly, in the House, the majority whip is outranked by both themajority leader and thespeaker. Unlike the Senate's presiding officer, the Speaker is the leader of his or her party'scaucus in the House.
In both the House and the Senate, the minority whip is the second highest-ranking individual in the minority party (the party with the lesser number of legislators in a legislative body), outranked only by theminority leader.
The whip position was created in the House of Representatives in 1897 by Republican SpeakerThomas Reed, who appointedJames A. Tawney as the first whip. The first Democratic whip,Oscar Wilder Underwood, was appointed in about 1900.[30][31] In the Senate, the position was created in 1913 byJohn W. Kern, chair of the Democratic caucus, when he appointedJ. Hamilton Lewis as the first whip, while Republicans later choseJames Wadsworth as the party's first in 1915.[32]
Michael Dobbs, formerly Chief of Staff for British Conservative Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher, wrote atrilogy of books, centred around a fictional party whip namedFrancis Urquhart, which was dramatised and broadcast by theBBC between 1990 and 1995. The first book in the trilogy, titledHouse of Cards, was adapted into atelevision series of the same name, and the title was also used for subsequent series based on other countries' political systems. InHouse of Cards, Francis Urquhart is thechief whip for theUK Conservative Party and the trilogy charts his ambitious rise through his party's ranks until he becomesPrime Minister.
In the American remake ofHouse of Cards,Frank Underwood is theHouse Majority Whip for theUS Democratic Party. The series charts Underwood's ambitious rise through his party's ranks until he becomespresident. The nameFrank Underwood was chosen to have the same initials as the original trilogy's protagonist Francis Urquhart, and to referenceOscar Underwood, the first party whip for the US Democratic Party.[citation needed]
The song "Demolition Man" byThe Police references party whips in the lyric "I'm a three-line whip, I'm the sort of thing they ban."
TheSeinfeld episode "The Scofflaw" features a scene whereKramer explains that the term "whip" originated from the practice of physicallywhipping party members to force voting compliance.[33]
I act as the whip for the Technical Group even though there is no party line to be enforced.
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